Tired of the seasonal tire dance? You’re in luck, with the best all season tires, your vehicle tire maintenance schedule gets easier.
For decades the changing of the seasons brought the changing of the tires. At the first sign of winter, the summer tires came off, and the snow tires went on. While this may still be a good idea for the hardy souls of Northern Maine or Michigan, most drivers would benefit from switching to all-season tires.
All-season tires are equipped with long-lasting tread patterns that are specifically designed to wear evenly. That means they are more durable than specialty tires and do a great job of staying in contact with the road during rainy, wet conditions.
They usually come with nice warranties, some lasting up to 70,000 miles or more. They often provide a quiet ride, even at high speeds, because the tread stays smooth longer than it does on average tires.
Unless you live in an area that is seldom or poorly plowed during the winter, all-season tires are a safe and affordable choice for your car, minivan, or SUV.
With so many brands on the market, it’s important to compare features to find the best tire for your driving style. Take a look at our breakdown below to find the best all season tires that will work for you.
How We Chose Our Ratings For The Best All Season Tires
We take your road safety and driving experience seriously. Our ratings are designed to help you understand your all-season tire options and choose wisely. We strive to present accurate information that will be helpful to you. With that in mind, to create our ratings, we look at the following:
We comb these sources for information on tread wear, inclement weather performance, warranties, quality of ride, and safety issues to devise our rankings.
Michelin Premier A/S | ||
Hankook Ventus ST RH06 | ||
Goodyear Assurance TripleTred | ||
Nitto Neo Gen | ||
Pirelli Cinturato P7 All-Season Plus | ||
Firestone Destination M/T | ||
Michelin Defender LTX | ||
Continental PureContact | ||
Yokohama Avid Ascend | ||
Douglas All-Season Tires |
Top 10 Best All Season Tires
Here is a list of the best all-season tires we could find. We’ve included tires that are great for family cars, SUVs, trucks, and high-performance cars. You can also compare these tires with other brands that are not listed here.
Michelin Premier A/S
We’ve come to expect outstanding performance from Michelin tires, and this all-season tire does not disappoint.
With excellent handling in dry conditions, wet roads, and even light snow and slush, this tire provides traction where others fall short. Its innovative tread design keeps contact with the road even as it begins to wear with the miles.
Michelin Premier A/S tires are available with H and V speed ratings for both cars and minivans. They also have a 60,000-mile treadwear warranty.They are safe, and long-lasting choice for your ride.
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Hankook Ventus ST RH06
This is a tire for the luxury SUV driver. If you’ve invested in a superlative ride, then you need these tires to make it even better.
They are designed for excellent traction and handling in everything from hot summers to light snow. And because we know you will open up that performance engine on occasion, this tire features a tread pattern that enhances handling at high speeds while reducing freeway noise.
The tire’s load index of 117 means your SUV can haul some gear, and the V speed rating lets you step on the gas when you feel the need for speed. It comes with a 50,000-mile tread wear warranty and will take you just about everywhere you want to go.
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Goodyear Assurance TripleTred
This tire is a solid choice for the family car and light SUVs or trucks. The tire’s tread is divided into three zones to provide traction for dry, wet, and icy conditions. They perform admirably on dry and wet roads but are a little less sure in light snow and slush.
The warranty for this tire is exceptionally good, ranging from 70,000 to 80,000 miles, depending on the tire grade.
Goodyear also offers a 30-day test drive, although we predict you’ll want to keep these babies for the smooth, quiet ride.
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Nitto Neo Gen
For the high-performance car that loves to fly no matter the road conditions, the Nitto Neo Gen has deep groves to channel more water at high speeds. This increases your car’s handling and traction on wet roads. The silica-reinforced tread compound and asymmetrical tread design work together to keep more rubber on the road in adverse conditions.
The main drawbacks to the Nitto Neo Gen are the warranty, which is a little low at 45,000 miles and handling in snow. If the roads are icy or slushy, the Neo Gen will not provide sufficient traction.
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Pirelli Cinturato P7 All-Season Plus
From another legendary name in the industry, the Pirelli Cinturato P7 is a superb tire for the dry road. If you live in the American Southwest or another area where wet traction is not a priority, you should take a look at this tire. In dry conditions, it offers a smooth, responsive, and quiet ride. When the snow flies, you’ll want to switch to a winter tire.
The Cinturato P7 does not handle well in the rain, however. Consumers report the tire feels “slippery” on wet roads.
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Firestone Destination M/T
If you like to take your truck, Jeep, or SUV off-roading on the weekends, you need an all-season tire for that. The Firestone Destination M/T is designed to take you from the muddy trails right into the city without a hitch.
The aggressive tread pattern provides optimal control and contact with the ground on pavement or dirt.
While this is an excellent quality tire with great consumer reviews, the lack of a manufacturer tread warranty lowers the rating. Many tire dealers will provide a limited warranty, however.
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Michelin Defender LTX
Designed for light pickup trucks and SUVs, this tire provides an amazingly quiet, secure ride. Michelin’s MaxTouch technology optimizes contact with the road for secure traction and control.
While the tire has excellent wet and dry road performance, snow is more of a problem. Your ride may be less responsive to winter conditions.
Defenders are also poor for off-road driving. If you like to hit the trails on your days off, then these are not the tires for you.
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Continental PureContact
This tire has excellent traction in both wet and dry conditions. In some tests, it outperformed the Michelins mentioned above. However, you will notice a difference in the comfort of your ride.
The PureContact is a little stiff and firm compared to higher-end tires. It also handles poorly in the snow. It can be sloppy when cornering, particularly in inclement weather.
The generous 70,000-mile warranty will keep you on the road for a long time to come.
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Yokohama Avid Ascend
This budget-friendly tire is great for cars, small SUVs, and light pickup trucks. It does have a low load capacity, so if you’re hauling bricks in the back of your car, you may want to choose another brand. Both wet and dry road conditions are no problem for these tires, but you should probably keep them out of snow where they lose traction and control.
Some consumers report that the ride becomes “bouncy” and less smooth as the tread begins to wear, although handling is still strong. Yokohama offers an 85,000-mile warranty, which is a fantastic deal at this price point.
If you’re looking for a set of tires you can afford that will get you back on the road quickly, look no further.
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Douglas All-Season Tires
Sold exclusively by Walmart, this tire is popular with consumers who want to drop off their cars while shopping for groceries. These are bargain tires sold at a very affordable price point. They offer good traction in dry conditions and decent traction in wet. We do not recommend you use them in the snow at all, but if you live in warmer climates, they could be good tires for you.
There have been a few reports of tread separation with these tires, but there is a 45,000-mile warranty that covers this issue.
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What do you look for in an all-season tire?
There are a few basic specifications that every driver needs to check before deciding upon a tire:
Buyer’s Guide For The Best All Season Tires
- Types of Tread Patterns – There are three types of tread patterns, and they each perform differently. Asymmetrical treads combine different patterns to provide the best road contact. If you race, drive at high speeds or have a sports car, look for these treads. Unidirectional treads are standard for most cars. They are designed to run in one direction and therefore wear down faster. Symmetrical treads can be rotated in different ways, extending the tire life.
- Load Capacity – The average car has a load of about 4,000 lbs. Add to that passengers and cargo, and that is the load your tires need to carry. If you haul heavy items on a regular basis, make sure the load capacity of the tires is sufficient.
- Fuel Economy – Some tires improve your miles per gallon more than others. If this is important to you, check for tires with a high fuel economy rating.
- UTQG – The Uniform Tire Quality Grade is the standard for measuring the safety of tires. It is based on elements such as traction, tread wear, and temperature resistance. A good UTQG number is the sign of a quality tire.
- Speed Ratings – These ratings indicate the speed at which the tire is deemed safe to operate. Your basic all-season tire will typically have a speed rating of S or T, which is a maximum of 112 or 118 mph, respectively. Premium all-weather tires may have a V speed rating, which is for speeds up to 149 mph.
- The Run-Flat Option – This tire has very stiff sidewalls, so if you get a flat when you’re out and about, you can still drive a short distance to a tire center instead of getting your car towed. Some all-season tires do fall into this category, and they are worth considering if flats are a concern for you.
Don’t forget to compare the manufacturers’ warranties.
Some brands offer great coverage, while others offer none at all. These warranties are invaluable if you have a defective tire that has worn too soon under normal use.
You will also need to determine your budget. Tires come in all price ranges, and generally speaking, the more you spend, the more you get.
Cheaper tires tend to have lower warranties, thinner thread, and a stiffer ride. If you are driving a high-performance or luxury vehicle, it’s wise to invest in high-quality tires to get the most out of your ride. However, if you’re running around in an old VW bug that’s already a very bumpy ride, you may decide that less expensive tires are just fine.
Whichever brand you choose, if you make careful comparisons and do your research, you can find the best all season tires that is a perfect complement to the way you drive and enhances your driving experience. So get out there, be safe, and enjoy the road!